Global warming will accentuate the consequences of large-scale volcanic eruptions, amplifying the temporary cooling following this type of event, British researchers warned Thursday August 12.
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"
Large-magnitude eruptions will have greater effects as the climate continues to warm,
" said researchers from Cambridge University and the British Meteorological Agency (Met office) in a statement.
According to their study, which will be published in the journal Nature Communications, plumes of ash and gas emitted by large volcanic eruptions will rise higher and higher in the atmosphere, and volcanic material linked to the eruptions will spread more rapidly over the earth. world.
A large "probable" volcanic eruption in the 21st century
The combined effect of these two phenomena will further prevent sunlight from reaching the Earth's surface, which "will
greatly amplify the effects of temporary cooling
" occurring after an eruption, an increase of around 15%. For example, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991 and its plume - the second largest of the twentieth century - rocked the entire planet, causing global temperatures to drop 0.5 ° C in 1992. In On the other hand, for smaller eruptions as occurs every year, strong global warming would reduce the temporary cooling effects by 75%.
According to the researchers, the melting ice caps should also "
increase the frequency and size of volcanic eruptions in places like Iceland
".
"
Climate change is not a phenomenon to come, it is already here, as the IPCC report published this week clearly demonstrates
," warned researcher Anja Schmidt, co-author of the study.
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This report by UN climate experts, released on Monday, says global warming is happening much faster than expected and that humans, "
unquestionably
" responsible, have no choice but to drastically reduce emissions greenhouse gases, if they want to limit the damage. He also considered "
likely
" that at least one major volcanic eruption would occur in the 21st century, saying it "
would reduce temperatures for one to three years, especially on land, and change extreme precipitation
."